Marking element and dispensing means therefor



Dec. 18, 1956 J. S. SMITH MARKING ELEMENT AND DISPENSING MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 24, 1953 INVENTOR. .T0/#V SHERMAN SMI TH TTRNEKS' United States Patent O MARKING ELEMENT AND DISPENSING MEANS THEREFOR John Sherman Smith, Atlanta, Ga., assigner to Scripta, Inc., a corporation of Georgia Application June 24, 1953, Seal No. 363,769

3 Claims. (Cl. 120-13) This invention relates in general to marking elements that are characteristically soft, such as crayons and cosmetic stick materials, and more particularly to an improved arrangement of a supply of such marking elements and to dispensing means therefor.

In prior Patent No. 2,595,001, issued April 29, 1952, a crayon pencil mechanism is disclosed in which the crayon or other similar marking element is arranged comparably to a pencil lead for feeding; that is, the marking element is gripped only at its rear end by the clutch of the feed mechanism and extends loosely toward the writing end of the pencil for feeding. This arrangement works well with crayons having relatively stiff formulations, but it cannot be used satisfactorily with very soft crayons because of the lack of support for the marking element.

Use of the softer crayons is highly desirable in many instances because of their better marking qualities on some types of surfaces, but these soft crayons are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, becoming appreciably softer at higher temperatures, and becoming very brittle at low temperatures (i. e., 50 F. or less). As a result, the use of such crayons is substantially hampered by the fact that they commonly exhibit insufcient stiffness to support themselves, or such brittleness as to shatter easily upon impact. The same general conditions exist as to cosmetic stick materials, such as lipstick, eyebrow pencil, and the like.

According to the present invention an arrangement is provided by which a supply of soft crayon or other similar marking element is incased in a rigid protective sleeve and adapted for dispensing therefrom by an improved form of feed mechanism of the general type disclosed in the above noted prior Patent No. 2,595,001. By this arrangement, the marking element supply may be used effectively despite conditions that may make it over-soft or brittle, and the supply may be provided conveniently in the form of a refill unit for continual replacement in a single dispensing means. v

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a dispensing means for a marking element embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section corresponding to Fig. 1, except for showing the marking element in retracted position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken substantially at the line 3 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section corresponding to Fig. 2, except for showing the marking element projected;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the marking element alone as initially arranged for use in the dispensing means; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 6--6 in Fig. 5.

In the drawings, the marking element of the present 2,774,331 Patented Dec. 18, 1956 ICC invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10, and Fig. 1 shows the marking element 10 projected for use from a housing 12.

Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of the marking element 1i) further as comprising a protective sleeve 14 incasing a marking element supply 16. The sleeve 14 is formed of a relatively rigid material, suitably a rigid plastic material, order to serve its protective function; and is formed exteriorly with an abutment portion, which may conveniently consist of an outwardly extending flange 18 at the rear end thereof, for assembly with the housing 12 as will be explained more in detail presently.

The protective sleeve 14 is further characterized by longitudinal ridges 20 extending interiorly thereof throughout its entire length (compare Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6). These ridges 20 serve as an effective means for disposing the sleeve 14 in covering relation with the marking element supply 16, which will vary in diameter due to manufacturing tolerances, but which is nevertheless held properly within sleeve 14 by the ridges 20 despite such variations in diameter. In addition, the ridges 20 also provide means for engaging the dispensing mechanism contained within the housing 12 to feed the marking element supply 16 for use.

F-or the latter purpose, a flexible collar 22 is arranged within the rear end of sleeve 14 to engage the longitudinal ridges 26 and to grip frictionally the forwardly extending end of a dispensing plunger 24 operated by a feed mechanism disposed in the rear portion of the housing 12 as described further below. The flexible collar 22 is formedof a plastic material such as polyethylene and is shaped with a bore tting the end of plunger 24 tightly to provide the friction grip thereon, while having an outside diameter frictionally engaging the sleeve ridges 20, so that the collar 22 will slide along the ridges 20 under endwise dispensing pressure from the plunger 24 when the sleeve 14 is held, but will cause the sleeve 14 when it is not held to follow the movement of plunger 24.

The previously mentioned abutment flange 18 at the rear end of the sleeve 14 provides the means by which it may be held upon application of dispensing pressure from the plunger 24; the housing 12 being formed with an internal annular flange 26 intermediately of its length, from which a forward housing portion 28 extends, that is internally threaded to engage a forward assembly sleeve or tip 3i) surrounding the main body of the protective sleeve 14, and serving at its rear face as a retaining abutment for the sleeve flange 18 (see Fig. 4).

The assembly sleeve 30 is preferably formed so that its rear face is spaced forwardly from the housing flange 26 a distance sufficiently greater than the thickness of the protective sleeve flange 18 to allow movement of the protective sleeve 14 and marking element supply 16 contained therein between retracted and projected positions (compare Figs. 2 and 4); the previously noted arrangement of the flexible collar 22 causing the protective sleeve 14 to follow retracting movement of the plunger 24, and serving with the plunger 24 to dispense the marking ele-v ment supply 16 when the protective sleeve ilange 18 is bottomed at the rear face of assembly sleeve 30 uponforward movement of the plunger 24.

It will be noted that the forwardly extending end of Y arrasar` wardly extending portion ofr a propelling member 36 forming part of a feed or dispensing mechanism contained Within a rear housing portion 3S that is separated by the previously mentioned annular housing iiange 26 from the forward 'housing portion '28,' but is aligned and communi cates therewith through the annular iiange 26 to allow the above described dispensing action of the plunger 24. The rear housing portion 3SA is formed interiorly with tube 42 bottomed therein on the annularhousing flange 26 and extending beyond the rear end of the housing i2.Y

This slotted tube 42 surrounds the plunger 24 and propelling member 36, with the propelling member .36 having a lateral portion 44 extending through the longitudinal slot of the tube.,42and threaded atrits outer face to engage the housing feed screw threads 49, so that rotation of the tube 42V in one `direction or the other will result, respectively, in forwarder rearward movement of the plunger 24.v .Y Such Yc'nper'ation of the plunger 24 is provided for from an .operating cap 46 carried for rotation at the rear end of the; housing 12 by a rear -assembly sleeve 48, the operating cap 46 being formed with an`internal longitudinal lug as at 50 iitting the slot in the projecting portion of the tube 42 to key the cap 46 therewith. The rear asi sembly sleeveis suitably arranged in threaded engagement externally oflthe housing 12 and may also serve to retain Va pocketclip 52 thereon. Also, a friction element 54 maybe arranged within the rear housing portion V38. :beyond .the feed screw threads 40 to support Vthe feed mechanism. against backing Vup under marking pressure,

the Vforegoing details of thefeed mechanism all being generally similarV to the ,disclosureY in Vthe above noted prior Patent No. 2,595,001 to whichV reference is made for any further description desired.

Inconnection with the use of the flexible collar 22 for engaging the :protective sleeve 14 with the feed mechanism, it should be noted that the `collar 22 may be arranged to. remain on the reduced plunger portion 32` Ywhe'nthe sleeve 14V isl removed from the housing 12, or to beA removable with the sleeve 14, by providing for a (greater frictional grip of the plungerend 32 or frictional engagement of the sleeveridges 2i), as desired.- If the collar 22 is made removable with the sleeve 14, then separate collars 22 may be used for replacement, or the collarV 22 maybe arranged as part of a complete reiill unit with the protective sleeve 14 and marking element supply contained therein, as illustrated in Figs. and 6. In anycase, a protective sleeve 14 containing a fresh :marking element supply 16 may be replaced in the housing,12 simply by removing the forward assembly sleeve 30 and substituting the new protective sleeve 14 in pla-ce of an Yexhausted one, the exible collar 22 ybeing replaced, if needed, Vseparately or assembled with the sleeve 14, as explained'abov'e.

Thepresent'invention has been described in detail a'bove for,purposes of illustrationonly and is not intended to berlimitedj by this-description or otherwise except as definedin thfefappended claims.

Iclaim': Y Y 1'. VA marking element dispensingl means comprising a housing-having axially'aligned rear vand forward tubular portions separated by an inwardly extending annular n fiangefand communicating through-said flange, a feed mechanism arranged in said Arear housing portion and -in-V 'corporatinga plunger extensible Vfrornsaid rear portion thr ouglrsaid` forward portion Aby operationof said: feed mechanism at the rear/end of said housing, a protective sleeve incasinga marking :element supply retained by said housing inrsaidforward` portion, said protective sleeve beingof aruniforrn interior diameter and being formed intero-rlyV with .longitudinal ridges extendingA throughout thelength thereofia flexiblecollar slidably disposedinf. tei'rly 'of 's'aid protective -'sleeve 'atthe rear end thereof, a tubular assembly sleeve removably xed withinsaid frwardftubulart portion and" 'surrounding Ysaid protective feed screw threads 40, and has a longitudinally slottedV sleeve, the rear face of said` from said annular housing flange and said protective sleeve Ibeing formed with an outwardly extending iiange at its rear end for retaining engagement with said housingbetween said assembly sleeve rear face and annular housing iange and overlying Vsaid assembly sleeve rear face, both said marking element supply'and saidV flexible collar being of substantially the same diameter as the interior' diameter of said protective sleeve and being grippedtherein by said ridges while remainingfree for'sliding--along said ridges within said protective sleeve,,andrsaide flexible collar fric tionally gripping the forward endpof said plunger for dispensing the marking elementsupplyfrom said protective sleeve by said flexible lcollar andaplunger through operation of said feed mechanism. Y

2. A marking element dispensing means comprising a housing formed intermediate its length with an annular flange which separates a rear tubular portion and an enlarged forward tubular portion, afeed mechanism arranged in said rear housing portion and incorporating v,

a plunger extensible from said rear housingV portion mechanism at the rear end of said housing, a protective sleeve arranged within said housing and incasing a marking element supply, longitudinalridges formed interiorly in said sleeve and extending throughout the sleeve there-- of, a flexible collar disposed within said protective sleeve at the rear end thereof and frictionally gripping the for,- ward .end of said plunger, both said marking element suppi'y andlsaid'flexible collar being of substantially the same diameter as the interior diameter of said protective sleevev and being gripped therein by said ridges while remaining free for sliding along said ridges within said protective sleeve, a tubular assembly sleeve removably fixed within said forward tubular portion andsurround-v ing said protective sleeve with the rear face of said assembly sleeverbeing spaced from said annular housing flange', and said protective sleeve being formedY with an outwardly Vextending a'nge at itsrear endV for retaining engagement Within said housing between -said assembly sleeve rearface and said annular' housing ange, said assemblyv sleeve' Vrear Vface beingV spaced from said an nular housing flange lat a distance sutiiciently greater than the thickness of said protective sleeve ange, said protective sleeve and the marking'elernent supply in. Y

cased thereby being arranged for'shiftingV between abutting relation withsaid annular housing flange in a retractedposition and with said assembly sleeve rear lface in a projected position, and said Vprotective sleeve being disposed in alignment with said feed mechanism for ex; tension of saidV plungerV therethrough whereby dispensing Yof the marking element ksupply from -said protective.k

sleevev is performed by said flexible collar andl through operationof saidfeed mechanism'.

3. A replaceable refill unit for use in al marking ele ment dispensing device having a housing. with an inwardly'V extending annular flange enclosinga dispensing mechanism Afor-projectingV a preformed marking element plunger supplyY and a tubular assembly sleeve removably carried on said housing Vfor containing said replaceable `refill unit with'the rear. face Vof Asaid assembly sleeve beingv spaced from said annular housing an'ge, said refill unit 'conj Sisting essentially a protective sleeve with" saidpree formed-marking element'supply incased therein, said protective sleeve being formed with an outwardly. extending ii'ange atlitsrrear end and adapted for retainingenga'ge p ment with said housing betweenV said assembly sleeve rear face and annular housingliange, interior longitudinal rid-gesextending throughout the length of the protective sleeve and spaced aroundV the inner circumfer ence thereof, a flexible Acollar slidably Idisposed interiorly` sembly sleevenbeing spacedVV an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of said protective sleeve and serving to remove from the inner wall of the protective sleeve any adhering marking element supply, said rell unit being removable from said tubular assembly sleeve when said 5 assembly sleeve is removed from said housing, and a new rell unit, containing a marking element supply being easily replaced within said tubular assembly sleeve upon removal of said assembly sleeve from said housing without the necessity of touching the marking element 10 supply during removal nof the used refill unit and replacement with the new refill unit.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stickney Aug. 8, 1922 Crouse et al. May 20, 1924 Slack Oct. 7, 1924 Vierling Jan. S, 1929 Bienenstein Mar. 28, 1933 Weaver et al. Dec. 10, 1935 Sams et al. Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS France July 16, 1928 Germany Apr. 12, 1933 

